Improvement in breast-pin fasteners



JOHN H-., LEHMANQ Breast-Pin F-aistener.

NoQ 119,860.

min-asses.

Patented Oct. to; 1871.

fm/emor.

PATENT QFFIGE.

JOHN A. LEHMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN BREAST-PIN FASTENERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 119,860, dated October 10, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. LEHMAN, of the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved (latch or Fasten er,'to be applied to breast-pins, brooches, or any ornament worn about the person with a pin, and which will prevent its being lost; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in Which Figiue 1 represents an enlarged view of a breast-pin without my improved catch applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents the same with my catch attached. Fig. 3, a represents a top view, I) a side view, and c a bottom view of the catch.

The nature of my invention consists in the employment of a tube, cylindrical externally for a portion of its length and preferably square or polygonal for the remainder, and having a fine wire coiled and attached around the outside of the cylindrical portion, thus forming a spiral screw; which tube, when applied for use, is to be screwed and secured by means of its spiral so as to be held in place by the-usual eye of breast- 7 pins, while the tubular portion surrounds and secures the point or tip of the pin, the square head of the'tubular piece being adapted in size for the socket of an ordinary watch-key, which I employ as a convenient means for screwing and unscrewing my catch. The breast-pin, brooch, or other article of ornament or use to which my device is applied may be fastened to the wear ers dress in the ordinary way.

To-enable others skilled in the art tomake and use my invention, I will proceed to describe more fully its construction and operation.

I take a piece of hollow cylindrical wire, say from a quarter to half an inch in length, and of such diameter as the size of the pin may require, and make this for about one-third of its length square or of other appropriate shape adapted to enter the bore of a watch-key. A very fine wire is then wound spirally and secured by soldering or otherwise around the cylindrical portion of the tube, by which means a screw is formed. The here or hollow part of the tube is round, and the entire catch is detachable from the breast pin and may be applied at any time to ordinary pins at will.

In the drawing, a represents the ordinary open hook, to receive and retain in position the tip of the pin after the breast-pin has been secured to the garment. To avoid the danger of the ornament becoming detached or lost because of the insecurity of this ordinary mode of fastening I construct the device above described and shown at b in Fig. 3, the spiral rib being shown at c, and the portion to which the watch-key is to be applied being shown at d. The hook a, if not made of too rigid a wire, will, when the fastening device is inserted within it, as shown in Fig. 2, slightly twist its free end, so that it will adapt itself to the spiral rib and hug the same closely. A few turns of the key will eflectually prevent any danger of the fastening becoming detached, and as the tip of the pin is inclosed within the bore of the catch it can by no possibility escape from it, and can be released only when the catch shall have been deliberately unscrewed or removed. If the hook be very stiff and rigid it is advisable to give it a slight permanent twist in order that it may readily conform itself to the spiral of the catch. Instead of a wire on the cylinder it is evident that a spiral groove will answer the same purpose.

I claim 1. The catch 1), formed with a tube to receive the tip of the pin, and a spiral rib or groove adapted to secure the catch to the hook, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The same when formed with a square or polygonal head adapted for a key to operate the same, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN A. LEHMAN.

, Witnesses:

THOMAS Vorer, 

